Story:Clouds of Judgment/Characters/Zak Sterling
What Zak is being judged for is Responsibility. Personality Zak is the resident joker and 'treasure hunter' of the party, and his loyalty to his former superior officer Liam will always be first and foremost, though he is half as successful with the ladies as Nicolas. Upbeat, carefree and sometimes childish, he is the most light-hearted of the male party members, of which he is easily peeved by the two resident jerks Ike and James (who he calls 'Val') but is generally a friendly fellow otherwise. He sometimes lets overconfidence gets the best of him, especially when it concerns gambling. But he can be serious when the situation calls for it and has the most intelligence with any machinery, especially with anything related to hydroelectricity - which is used to run his and Liam's airship. His biggest insecurities are boredom and loneliness, bore from his time at the orphanage. Compared to his partner's loathing for Odin, Zak's relationship with Leviathan (or Levi, as he calls him) is friendly once he tames it, which helps him get over his paralyzing fear of snakes. Out of the trio composing of himself, Liam and Nicolas, he can get moody and irritated the easiest. Appearance & Attire Zak has a light tan complexion and messy dark blond hair that never seems to be combed (unless it's for special occasions). He wears just a pair of red sweatpants (and sometimes his socks and/or scarf) to bed. His usual attire consists of: * Blue fishnet knee-high toe socks * Pair of light blue jean shorts that reach the knees (the ends seem torn), tied with red knots on each end of the leg * Mauve leather sleeveless jacket that's usually opened w/built-in harness that holds his bladarang * Matching pilot's boots * A long red scarf worn around his neck * Black arm warmer with a small built-in buckler and knuckle, both charged with hydroelectricity; worn on his right arm * Brown leather bracelet worn on his left wrist * Matching braided armband on his upper left arm, possibly of Mesi origin (most likely stolen) * Matching belt with various small blades and other hydroelectric gadgets stored, draped with a short red half-skirt * Pair of goggles either worn on the head or around his neck * A ring worn around his neck in a chain Story Past Orphaned at a tender young age, he lived in an orphanage during childhood but didn't have very many friends and was considered one of the few who received less support. He turned to stealing from the locals to support himself because of this and run away when he turned 13 after he was beaten by one of the caretakers, using an abandoned bicycle to leave town. He traveled around the world alone ever since, doing whatever he could to survive - including taking odd jobs to make some money. Even going through so much, he has learned to smile through most of his (mis)adventures but will get agitated when a person will make rude comments about him. By the time he reached 18, he finds himself among the few to volunteer for the military and was assigned an airship pilot when many witnessed him fixing one of their aircraft and then piloting it, far exceeding most. One airship has struck his fancy and he has since remodeled it with hydroelectricity (it's even large enough to fit a motorcycle, which he has also bought or stolen), officially christening it 'Starpollo'. Main Events Zak is first seen gambling at a table in Arreglaser's local bar run by Nicholas Halcon, who serves drinks. One of the opponents at Zak's table is the Black Spirit, who offers him a deal in which he must deliver the goods to Yotsutgana, which has been an enemy of Arreglaser since the war. Seeing this as a chance to gain some big money, he takes up on the Black Spirit's offer but Halcon warns him before he leaves regarding the Spirit's shady nature in which Zak counters he's befriended many shady people. Abilities Zak is the group's resident Thief, and can steal more than items and gil - he'll even steal a part out of a mech-type enemy in order to quickly dismantle it. While one of the faster party members, he is a pretty weak physical attacker early on so he must rely on throwing his bladarang from a distance, which will prove advantageous as it'll sometimes hit multiple enemies at once. He also relies on his secret stash which include various throwing weapons and bombs. Since Leviathan is a water-based Deus, a majority of Zak's spells are based around water - which would include both Blizzard and Thunder spells. Also in his spell arsenal are abilities that decrease enemy defenses as well as offensive buffs and a few healing spells, overall making Zak a decent all-round spellcaster who's also quite speedy - which especially comes in handy when you need a faster mage to help a slower mage dish out damage to physical-resistant enemies, or a faster secondary healer when the primary one is in a pinch. Deus Zak has an immense fear of snakes, and Leviathan is the Great Serpent of the Seas. One of the things Zak must confront when fighting his Deus is his phobia, for the bond between the master and his servant is essential for a partnership. Nicknaming it 'Levi', he grows attached to the large creature overtime as each harbor a certain amount of envy towards others. Being of the water element, Levi has mastery over ice magic with his secondary being thunder. Relationships *'Rain:' Zak's feelings towards Rain are rather mixed, as he soon finds that she is a little more imposing than Ike due to her icy stares. *'Ike:' Zak cannot stand being around Ike, mostly due to his excessive cursing and blood knight tendencies. As a result, Zak often tends to get rather snarky with him. *'Nate:' While his seemingly moody attitude and overprotective kinda puts him off and makes him act carefully around Sam, he is surprised to find he's very tuned to the party's problems and not a bad drinker. *'Sam:' Aside from initial flirting, Zak finds a more common ground with her; they both like to have fun in life, but she's more reasonable about it. But he's also envious of her in that she at least has an older sibling to take care of him while he was stuck at an orphanage since he has none. *'Liam:' Liam was Zak's commanding officer back in the Uhlan squadron but they soon become close as more raids pile up on them. When Liam leaves due to an unfortunate circumstance, Zak follows him not only out of loyalty, but the bond they have forged in the front lines which Zak tries desperately not to lose since then. *'Nicolas:' Zak gels with Nick rather quickly, due to similar interests and habits, While he does not always agree with the ninja's pragmatic ruthlessness, he nonetheless regards him as a more fair-weathered ally. *'James:' While both have had hang-ups with the law in general, he finds 'Val' more scarier than Ike. Whereas Zak is a low-born orphan not out to hurt anyone, James has lost any trace of morality and justice long ago - which don't sit too well with the thief. *'Rachael:' Due to her young age, Zak does not attempt to flirt with her but is just as protective with her as he does with all the ladies he comes across, even as she mistakes his attempts to befriend her as being hit on at first. *'Concord:' Zak's first impression of her is more than enthusiastic, as she is the first 'robo-babe' he's ever come across and likes to see getting together with one as a challenge. (I'll think of more later) *'Abel:' ... *'Bolverk:' Ser Vox Bolverk used to be Zak's very strict superior. *'Idiza:' While it's not to say he doesn't like older women, he claims that they're just not his type and Idiza would be no exception. Notes Zak's birth date reflects his sunny outlook in life and occasional run-ins with bad luck. His sign Cancer reflects his connection to the water, part of which is the milestone of his hometown and Leviathan being of that element. During development, Zak is planned to be blond and his eyes are debated between blue and green before eventually settling on the latter when there is already a pair of blond-haired/blue-eyed twins in the party and his blond hair is consequently darker in order to differentiate him from the Sanfords and make the main cast more diverse. Zak also has ophiphobia (fear of snakes) which his partner originally had but is transferred to him in order to have his fight and consequent bond with Leviathan more meaningful.